The Grizzlies will enter their first season since 2019-202 without Desmond Bane on the roster, and their first season since 2020-21 without the starting top-three option of Desmond Bane. His replacements will come from a collection of players, including three players who were received directly from his trade in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cedric Coward, and Cole Anthony.
Except Cole Anthony and the Grizzlies agreed to a contract buyout on July 12th, which was followed by his signing with the Milwaukee Bucks on July 16th. Unfortunately, some outlets didn't pick up on that, as Bleacher Report mentioned a good start to the season by Anthony would make it hard for the Grizzlies' offseason signee, Ty Jerome, to match his production from last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ty Jerome's impact will be difficult to replicate in a good way
Outside of the blunder of mistaking current players on the Grizzlies roster, the Bleacher Report article about risers and fallers made it clear that Jerome's efficiency with the Cavaliers last season will likely not replicate with the Grizzlies. He shot a career-high 51.6% from the field and 43.6% from three in his most productive season in his six-year career.
The average field goal percentage of a guard in the NBA hovers around 43-44%, and the average three-point percentage of a guard is between 35-36%. His career averages are 45.8% from the field and 38.1% from three, so a natural regression is expected. However, that doesn't change the impact he can have on the Memphis Grizzlies.
While his scoring and shooting will be needed to replace the production left in those areas by Desmond Bane and Luke Kennard, Jerome will be expected to elevate the Grizzlies in the ball handling department. Bane and Kennard were negatives for the team when they had to become lead ball handlers in their first-round series loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs.
Even when considering a regression in shooting, Jerome's career averages still rank higher than the league average. So if he regresses to his career average, it would still be a positive for the team, as only Scotty Pippen Jr. shot a higher percentage from three (39.7% in 2024-25) out of the Grizzlies' returning players from last season.
The Grizzlies made Jerome a priority as they signed him to the $8.8 million room exception slot almost immediately after free agency began. With that comes expectations, but Jerome became a Sixth Man of the Year finalist on a team that had the second-best record in the NBA last season. If there is anyone the team can count on to contribute after their stars, Jerome is a good bet.